Timeline of Exploration

For over a century, explorers and scientists have been drawn to the Turkana Basin with a sense of awe for its remoteness and its secrets.

The first paleontological expedition to the Turkana Basin occurred in 1902; the pace quickened soon after that, and in the following decades numerous expeditions explored the fossil deposits of Lake Turkana’s western shores. The east side of the lake, however, remained essentially unknown to paleontology until the 1960s.

Richard Leakey’s famous chance stop en route from Ethiopia would change that. Soon, the eyes of the world were on the fossil discoveries coming out of Koobi Fora at an astonishing rate. From there, multidisciplinary research expanded exponentially through the 70s, 80s, and 90s, encompassing both east and west Turkana. New and exciting finds continued to shape the way we understood our origins.

With the development of TBI in the new millennium, we expect this trend to continue and increase, as our focus turns to expansion and enhancement of field research support.